HIGHLIGHTS

MLA's engaged in all kinds of disruptive tactics like shouting and hooting.

Democracy is getting misused by DMK members.

AIADMK MLA, K Pandiarajan

HIGHLIGHTS

Tamilnadu Assembly speaker evicted 80 DMK MLAs from the House.

MLA's engaged in all kinds of disruptive tactics like shouting and hooting.

Democracy is getting misused by DMK members.

One more unpleasant historical event occurred inside Tamilnadu Assembly as 80 DMK MLAs were evicted from the House for stalling it. The party's legislative leader was carried out by the guards in an embarrassing manner. DMK cried foul stating that the Speaker was biased.

As there is no live coverage of the Assembly, nobody except the members know what was going on in the Assembly. After a five year waiting period, the DMK had the strength to raise its voice. When MK Stalin was chosen as the party's legislative leader, he promised to be a responsible opposition leader. But when the Assembly began in July, the only constant thing were walking out of opposition parties and arguments between both the parties in the historical House.

After their eviction, MK Stalin said that there is no Democracy but only Monarchy that is happening inside the Assembly. The Assembly became a battleground from the rivals to mock each other and they didn't miss a chance whenever they got one.

As you know, from the start of this session, DMK members have behaved in a very strange way. They've engaged in all kinds of disruptive tactics like shouting, hooting and making even obscene gestures which has happened pretty often. The fact is that nobody has any control over this entirely errant behaviour especially Stalin, who is the Opposition leader and Duraimurugan who is the Deputy Opposition leader. There seems to be no control over this group. They were also specifically targeting the Speaker. He was called by 'names'.

There was a part of a speech of one of the AIADMK member, Gunasekaran, where he just mentioned one line about the 'drama' called 'Namaku Naame'. Gunasekaran connected it to the context and it was hot' off the cuff 'remark of any kind. "If you have a different view, you record that view. You can't keep pushing for expunging it out of the Assembly proceedings.

When Stalin came back after 20 minutes of disruption of the Assembly by his people, he wanted it to remain on the Assembly records. It was premeditated by DMK to hook on to this issue and trigger or in a way invite an eviction.

Though DMK MLAs were suspended from the Assembly, why were they not allowed to continue their executive work inside the Secretariat?

According to the rules the Speaker has a control over the Assembly and the executive space of DMK members. As they were suspended, during the term of suspension, they cannot use the space. The rest of 9 non-suspended DMK MLAs were using their office. I see no hassle in the stand taken by the Speaker.

So with the absence of 80 DMK MLAs, how was the proceedings of the Assembly?

Assembly went well. The speeches went properly. The debates occurred and in fact three ministers finished their speech. It was very productive. The rest of the DMK MLAs recorded their point of view and walked out. Thankfully, we finished in time.

Is there any truth to Stalin's accusations that there is no Democracy inside Assembly demanding a live telecast of the proceedings?

I think Stalin is right in one sense. Democracy is getting misused by DMK members. Much of the productive time gets killed by completely vagrant behaviour of DMK legislators who seem to have no control of a leadership. In my view MK Stalin is right. I think Democracy is getting strangulated by the extremely unparliamentary behaviour of DMK personnel and I hope that after the suspension they got, they'll learn.

What about live coverage of the Assembly proceedings?

With respect to Live coverage, the Speaker has taken a stand. It is clearly the prerogative of the Speaker. Recording in the Assembly is a major requirement for both sides. If you have a live telecast, in my view it curbs the authority of the Speaker in deciding which one stays and which one should not stay and I think that's the primary reason the Speaker is not allowing it. They are aggregating it and providing it to the media, at the end of the day.

Anyway, I don't think that in Assemblies where there live telecast is allowed, including the parliament, the behaviour has not modified in my view, Kerala Assembly happenings are a 'case in point'.

The behaviour when you have a live telecast tend to inject certain other dis-functionalities. People tend to act for the telecast. I don't see any reason on why a live telecast will significantly increase the quality deliberations of any kind.

Tamilnadu Assembly is a very productive Assembly. It's tightly run. It does not allow any kind of vagaries of people coming in and do whatever they wish to do.

Here, they are for a purpose and that purpose will be served. It is served with a tough Speaker, with meaningful conduct of the proceedings and in my view, there is really no reason for a live telecast as being demanded by DMK. Probably 'photo ops' may not happen but productive work will happen.

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